Nightmares, Comfort in the Arms of a Stranger
by Gilly Bean2
Summary: Spike comforts Buffy after the deaths of Dawn and Joyce. AU, post s5, no s6. **COMPLETE** 11/03- Part 8 added
1. Comfortable vs Uncomfortable

Nightmares- In the Comforting Arms of a Stranger  
  
Disclaimer- If I owned all this, don't you think it would be on TV, instead of FF? Come now, guys, read my version of life on the Hellmouth, but always remember, it's not mine. Cause I sure as shit wouldn't be sharing Spike's body if I owned him. *starts to mindlessly wander as she imagines just what it would be like to be Spike's bitch.*  
  
Feedback: I would appreciate any and all you have  
  
Distribution: If you want it, ask please. I would prefer not to find my stuff at sights I have never even heard of. ;) Seriously, though, I'm pretty lenient about sharing, I just like it when people are polite and ask first.  
  
Thanks to the many people who have read my stories, enjoyed hem, and let me know. I appreciate all the 'fan' mail I have gotten in response to my stories, and I'm happy that my stories have entertained.  
  
AN: This is reposted from the NC-17 of the original rating. I've had many people read through it, and most feel I didn't get enough into sexual content to make it worthy of the rating I had originally planted on it. Please, if you feel it's overly strong for the rating, let me know which parts, and I will revise them asap. I've read through it multiple times, and while there's one section I wonder about, I didn't think it was anything worse then most R rated movies. This is all the chapters I had, rolled into 1, so I won't be updating until I get some new chapters written. As always, check www.members.tripod.com/gilly_bean2/ for faster updates.  
  
Part 1  
  
  
  
Buffy looked over at the clock on her nightstand. 4:55 am. Her eyes were burning from having been up for so long, but she knew that if she closed her eyes, the nightmares would return. She would see her mom again. And Dawnie. Both were gone now. It had been nearly four months since her mother had been found at the house, and almost two months since Glory had gotten Dawn.  
  
Way too much. Way too soon. Buffy struggled to her feet and walked over to her dresser. She slowly unbuttoned her jeans, letting them slip from her slim legs. She tugged at the long sleeve shirt she had on and let it drop to the floor. Buffy was left standing in a white lace bra and matching panties. She dug through and found a peach-colored satin nightgown. She let the satin slip down her body with a soft whisper. After it was in place, Buffy unclasped the bra and pulled it off through the armholes.  
  
From his spot at the window, Spike watched as Buffy finally gave in. He knew what she was dreading; had in fact watched it three or four times a week for nearly a month now. Some nights, Spike forced himself not to check on her, but when morning came, he always felt miserable that he had not checked on her. He would sit in the tree to watch and wait.  
  
Some nights Buffy was already asleep, but more and more lately, Spike would find her struggling to remain awake, rather then finding sleep. She was worn out; her body was tired and her mind was sluggish. Most times, Buffy could not concentrate on anything anyone did for more then a few moments.  
  
When she slowly started to take her clothing off, Spike groaned softly at the instant effect she had on his body. She turned and made her way towards her bed, and Spike pulled back a bit further into the shadows. Buffy settled herself in with a resigned look on her face. Shutting off the small bedside lamp, she closed her eyes.  
  
It was not long before Buffy was tossing and turning fitfully on the bed. The blanket had been kicked aside, and fell it to the floor. She curled up in a fetal position on the bed, her backside towards Spike. He groaned as he saw her tiny white panties peeking out behind her.  
  
Spike watched her a bit longer, then turned to go. It was then he noticed the soft peach glow on the horizon, and he knew there was no way to make it back to his crypt in time. "Bloody hell." he mumbled to himself. Turning back, Spike took a deep breath and started to pound on the window.  
  
Buffy barely registered the sound in the foggy recess of her mind. Once her brain actively decided it was a noise apart from her dream, she started to drag herself awake. Blinking sleepily, she sat up and glanced around before seeing Spike pounding at the window. There was a soft light glow behind him. She hurried to the window and opened it, only to have him bounce slightly back when he tried to enter.  
  
"Come in Spike" she said to him, the magic words working. Spike dove through the window and slammed the window shut behind himself. He then tugged the shades into place. She had long ago outfitted the room for both Angel and Spike. Buffy was barely awake, and her mind was far from working quite right yet.  
  
Buffy just turned and slowly crept back to the bed. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Spike watched her for a moment and then went out the hall. He went down to Joyce's old room. Spike found a pillow and a spare blanket, and then he made his way back to Buffy's room.  
  
Inside, Spike saw her tossing around again and sighed. He made his bed on the floor, right next to Buffy's bed. Rather then lying down though, he pulled her desk chair up next to her bed and sat watching her. Worry was etched in his features. He could tell the instant that the dream began. Her body got all tight, the tension around her thickened, and she wore a slight frown on her face. The tears were the part that always got him, though. They were the one thing that made Spike want to gather her to him and never let go. He knew they would be coming soon, and he only hoped that he would be able to help her this time.  
  
Several more minutes had passed and the silent weeping started. Tears formed and trickled noiselessly down Buffy's cheeks, forming a wet spot on the pillow under her head. Spike sucked in a deep, unneeded breath and waited another minute, knowing that she would wonder why he was watching her. He had to wait until he could hear Buffy, and then he could give a reason for comforting her.  
  
Spike's arms ached to gather her to him, hold her, and to kiss away the tears. Finally, it happened. Buffy started to sob quietly at first, and then slightly louder, until the sound of her sobs filled the air. Spike pulled off his duster and drew her close, softly murmuring words of love and comfort. He rocked Buffy back and forth as she came awake and the sobs slowly subsided. Finally, she pulled back and looked up at him. Not knowing what to say, she leaned in and kissed Spike gently on the lips. "Thank you." she said softly to him.  
  
Wiping at her face, Buffy laid back down. Spike sat watching her for a moment before she lifted that delicate hand and tugged at his shirt, urging him to lie next to her. He did then, and pulled her into his arms. Rocking Buffy softly again, he felt her fall asleep, safe in his arms. Spike kissed her forehead and closed his own eyes. To feel Buffy's warm skin against his cool flesh, and to hear her heart beating, soothed Spike into his own deep sleep. Buffy did not wake up to her nightmare again that day.  
  
They woke within minutes of each other, Buffy first and then Spike. She looked at him and smiled. Buffy pulled back just a bit and thought about the night. She had wondered if it was real, but she woke up in the comforting embrace of Spike's arms. He felt her first and knew she was awake. Opening those bright blue eyes of his, Spike looked into her hazel ones. He was afraid of Buffy's reaction at first, but then saw her smile and he knew everything was all right. "Good morning, luv." he said softly. He knew things were going to be just fine now.  
  
Part 2  
  
Buffy sat down at her desk, and looked over the puzzle book she had been addicted to lately. Spike was late, and she was tired. Since that first night, Spike had taken to coming over every night, and she let him in every night. They would settle in the bed, his arms around her, and she would sleep, peacefully. He would watch her, thinking about their time together, and wondering how long it would be able to go on for. She was doing better, though, and that made everything fine for him. They never talked about the night, never asked how long it would continue, never asked why. It just happened, and they were both comfortable in that. Every now and then, Buffy would thank him, and give him one of those soft gentle kisses, and he would be thankful for that. He knew she was confused over her own feelings, but he knew his were pure love. He would do anything for her, so long as it kept her happy. She glanced over at the clock. It was already 3 am. She had a feeling he wasn't coming. He was always here by 1 at the latest. Sighing, she gave up on the word search, and dug through her drawers to find a nightgown. She came up with a black silk one. It wasn't one she had ever even worn yet. The back dipped very low, so low in fact, that if she wore her panties, they would show. The front molded to her like a second skin, and dipped down to show her cleavage off nicely. It stopped barely below her hips, and the sides were both slit nearly to her waist.  
  
Buffy stripped down slowly, removing both her bra and panties this time. She picked up the scrap of black silk. It flittered down her body like the whisper of a lovers kiss. Smoothing it out over her form, she shut off the main light, and lay down in bed, turning off the small bedside lamp as well.  
  
Spike cursed himself, knowing he was late, and Buffy would be waiting on him. He got held up with some thugs near his crypt, and then one thing led to another, and finally, they had stopped playing poker. Poker, bloody hell. He had better things to see to then hosting a bloody poker game. The game finally ended, and Spike was happy to see the light still on in the slayer's room. He climbed the tree efficiently, knowing all the hand holds. He stopped, however, when he saw her undressing through the window. He gasped when he saw her take off both the pink satin bra, and the matching panties. He continued to watch, as her hands picked up a small scrap of silk. His body hardened as he watched her let the silk drift over her body. He groaned as she smoothed her hands over her body. Turning away for a moment, he took the time to try and compose himself. Just as she shut the light near her bed off, he opened the window.  
  
"Spike!" Buffy cried out in surprise. She watched through the moonlight as he climbed in, and then flushed with embarrassment over her chosen outfit. She had figured he wasn't coming, so hadn't thought about it when she was dressing. Dressing! She moaned in acute embarrassment now, wondering how long he had been out there. "You. were you out there for long?"  
  
Spike shed the duster quickly, and stalked closer to her, a gleam in his eye. He didn't say a word as he came to stop beside their bed. No, that wasn't right, it was hers, though they shared it every night. In everyway except the one he wanted most. He looked down at her, and she felt a shiver run through her body. "Spike...? What. What are you doing?"  
  
"Luv, it occurred to me tonight that we never talk about what might happen, us sharing a bed 'n all. I thought perhaps we might lay down, and. talk." He could feel the heat coming from her, and could smell her strongly. He could smell her arousal, and a slight ting of fear. He slowly took his shirt off, and the moonlight danced across his muscles. Her eyes widened as his hand strayed to the button on his jeans. They came off quickly, leaving him only in boxers. She gulped, and looked up. "Spike, wh.what are you doing?"  
  
His hands rested on his hips, his thumbs hooked over the edge of the boxers, as if to threaten pulling them down.  
  
"Why, getting ready for bed, Luv."  
  
"But you. always wear your shirt. Why did you take it off, Spike?" Her voice was faint whisper of itself.  
  
"Well, now, luv, there is a perfectly good answer for that. But, first, I should ask you the same. You always wear panties to bed, don't you?" Flaming red shoot to her cheeks, and she wrapped the blanket tightly around herself before standing up. She grabbed her discarded clothing, and inched towards the door. Spike laughed and walked towards her. Buffy kept backing up until her back thudded against the wall. "Now, Spike... I need to change. I'll... be right... back..."  
  
Laughing, Spike shook his head. "I think you look just fine, pet." His eyes looked straight in to hers as he talked to her. "But, if you are not comfortable, I'll leave the room so you can change." Buffy nibbled at her lip, then nodded. Spike sighed mockingly, and left with a quick wink to her. She dropped the blanket, and quickly looked down at herself, then at herself in the mirror. She had butterflies in her belly, and wanted desperately to be crazy enough to just wear this. Finally, she pulled the blanket around herself, shoulders and all, and lay back down. She called out to Spike, who came back in. He smiled, and lay down in the bed beside her. They had gotten into the habit of talking a bit at night. Nothing heavy, just simple things. Almost like date talk. Spike slides his arm around her, only to find she was wrapped in the blanket. Pulling her back to his belly, he let his arm lay gently across her midsection. He was smiling as they started to talk about nonsense. After a bit, he felt her relax, and her breathing evened out. He relaxed, laying his head against hers. She smiled a bit in her sleep. As he lay listening to her breathing pattern, she rolled on to her back, so he could lay his head on her chest. He griped quietly about the blanket, and worked it off her shoulders, so that he could lie against her nightgown.  
  
As he worked it down, he noticed she was still wearing the same black silk creation; something designed to drive a man insane, if you asked him. His eyes dipped down, and he pushed the blanket completely off her. Cor, she was a beauty, he thought. She started to turn towards him, and he lay back on his back as she snuggled her soft warm body up to his. Her left leg curled around his waist, and her left arm around his chest. Nuzzling her face into his neck, she made a soft purring noise before she settled back down to sleep. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and forced himself to stay still. He ached to take the silly scrap off of her, but knew it wasn't time yet. She wasn't ready, and he wanted her to be, first.  
  
Buffy woke up slowly, and felt the hard body she was curled against. Keeping her breathing even, she gently rubbed her leg over his legs, and up to his belly, passing the hard shaft that was covered only by a thin pair of boxer shorts. She allowed him to think she was sleeping, still. She wanted to see, or rather feel and hear, what his reactions would be to her gentle rubbing. She was not disappointed when she heard his soft hissing gasp, which was followed shortly by a moan. She stopped moving for a moment, and then started to toss a bit, making certain to rub against him as much as she could. Spike groaned a bit more, and his hips came up off the bed just slightly when she would move against him. After a few minutes, she settled down, and turned on her side to press her backside against his leg. He turned as well, and was soon pressing his erection against her bottom. She wiggled slightly against it, and then stopped moving, and breathed softly again.  
  
He was in hell. That could be the only explanation for this. The slayer, his slayer, was wearing barely anything, and rubbing her self against him as she slept. He felt her wiggling that delectable behind into him, and groaned loudly. She seemed to settle down after that, and he wrapped his arm around her once again. The palm rested just under her breast. He would be damned if he would take her while she was mostly asleep, though. He wanted their first time to be perfect, and this wasn't it.  
  
Buffy felt her body growing more tired, and she slipped off to sleep again without even realizing it. She snuggled herself sage into Spike's cold embrace, and smiled in her sleep. Spike drifted off after a brief while, as well. They wore nearly identical smiles in their sleep, though. They slept peacefully through the night.  
  
Part 3  
  
Buffy pulled her hair up in a quick braid. She had just gotten home from work, and was getting ready for patrol. She switched from her work clothes to her. well. other work clothes. It was just a pair of grungy sweat pants, and a black t-shirt.  
  
The t-shirt she had found shoved halfway under her bed about a week back, and she had worn it often since. At first, it had smelled like him, but now, it wore more of her scent, masking his.  
  
She quickly tied her shoes up, and slung her bag around her shoulders. She was set to go. Buffy made quick order of her patrol, stopping at half of the cemeteries in town, and then approached the city park.  
  
The action had been light all evening, just a handful of vamps to dust. She hadn't really been expecting anything here, either, just thought it would be her last stop before home, and Spike. She wandered around, and came up near the swings. Seeing nothing around, she sat down for a few moments to collect her thoughts.  
  
The more she allowed Spike over, the more comfortable she grew around him. She felt warm and soft, beautiful and loved. She adored waking up with his arms holding her tightly, his lips pressed to the small juncture where her shoulder meets her neck.  
  
More often then not, she would wake to find herself wrapped around his hard body, and she would snuggle in before going back to sleep. Spike had never made an issue of pressing her for more then she was ready for, but she could feel the tension building between them.  
  
Buffy left the empty park, and made her way back home. It was nearly 11:30 now, and she needed to take a shower before Spike came over. She had been tempted several times to pitch the idea of living separately, but she wasn't certain she was ready to hear what her friends would say.  
  
Buffy stepped into the shower, and let the hot comforting water bat across her pale skin. She hadn't been going out much during the day anymore, and what she had done, had been to work. Her skin lost its healthy tan, and had given way to a slight pallor.  
  
Buffy scrubbed her body up, then got out, and tossed the black shirt back on, along with a pair of black boxer shorts she had bought for pajama's. She sat down at her desk, and started in on the crossword puzzle.  
  
  
  
Spike looked over at his bed, one that hadn't been used in a while. He had a small bag setting on it, and he was slowly filling it with his clothes. He was slowly moving more and more stuff over to Buffy's house, and his crypt was getting emptier every night.  
  
The last thing he grabbed tonight was a small metal box he kept stashed behind some loose rocks. Inside, he had some jewelry, all of it rather old and valuable, and he also had cash, and stolen credit cards. Dead people don't need credit cards, so he kept some around. He always dumped em after about a month, but they helped his supply out tremendously.  
  
Spike gathered up his bag, and left the crypt. He headed straight to the slayer's house, and made his way up the tree. He hadn't ever stopped to consider using the door, but rather took the time to climb up.  
  
Buffy was sitting at her desk when he looked in. Knocking lightly at the window, he waited for her to let him in. She opened the window, and smiled softly at him.  
  
"Hey Spike," she said in her soft voice. He smiled at her and set the bag down on the bed.  
  
"Hello, pet. Patrol go alright?" He asked her. She nodded, and sat back down to finish up the crossword.  
  
"You brought things over. Do you need some place to put them?" She looked back at him, then at the bag for a moment.  
  
He considered the question, and then nodded. "Just a drawer will do, luv. Nothing to big, just some spare clothes. Speaking of which, that shirt's mine, isn't it?"  
  
She blushed softly, and nodded, then bent down to clear out one of her drawers for him. She took all the pants she had grabbed, and placed them on the shelf in her closet. Without explaining the shirt, she sat on the edge of the bed to watch him.  
  
He quickly pulled the clothes out his bag, and placed them in the drawer. The cash box he stared at for a moment then looked at her as he pulled it out. "Got any place safe I can stash this, luv? It's kinda important." She looked at the box for just a moment, then nodded, and took him down the wall to her mother's room. Inside, she opened a small safe, and let him place it in the barren space.  
  
All the money her mother had left her was long gone, having gone to pay off as many bills upfront as she could. She had managed to pay off a good portion of the house, so that was good, but even with it mostly paid off, the house payments were getting behind.  
  
When Dawn had died, Buffy had discovered that her mother had put life insurance on both girls as well, and that helped out more, but that had been nearly 4 months ago, now, and everything was piling up again.  
  
Buffy was starting to look at the many things in the house as a way to make payments, and slowly, small things were being pawned. First, it was her mother's artwork, then, CD's and movies. The one thing she had of value was her mother's wedding rings, and she still couldn't bring herself to pawn those.  
  
Spike slid the box in the empty safe, and looked around at Joyce's room. It was changed, he saw, even in the past few weeks since he was first in here. The walls were no longer covered. He thought about it for a moment, and then turned to ask the slayer about it.  
  
"Your mum's art, what happened to it, pet?" She looked at him, and for a second, he saw the pained expression in her eyes before she hid it.  
  
"I sold them to an art dealer from L.A. who had known mom." She offered no other explanation, but Spike knew it wasn't what she had wanted, but rather, what she had needed to do.  
  
They made their way back to the bedroom, and Buffy placed his empty bag on the floor of his closet, and lay down. Spike shed his clothing, leaving only his boxers in place, then shut the lights off, and climbed into bed.  
  
"Spike?"  
  
"Yes, pet?"  
  
"I was thinking. You're here every night. and. well, I was thinking maybe you could just. Stay here. With me." Her voice was low, and soft. He smiled at the words, however.  
  
"You mean, like live here?" She didn't say anything, but he felt her head nod against his shoulder. "Is that what you want?" Another nod. "I would love to, pet." She smiled.  
  
They snuggled together, and she fell asleep, a smile on her face.  
  
Part 4  
  
Buffy dragged her feet behind the shopping cart that she pushed. Spike was walking in front of her, pulling food off the shelves, and tossing it in the cart, most often without even seeing what it was that he put there. Rolling her eyes, Buffy grabbed at least half of what he put in, and put it back where it came from,  
  
Spike stopped suddenly, and Buffy accidentally pushed the cart into his legs.  
  
"Bloody hell luv, pay attention!" She giggled, and looked away, trying to focus her mirth filled eyes on anything but Spike. Spike looked down into the cart, and started sorting through it. "Luv, either you picked the only food eating buggy in the place, or someone's been nicking my snacks." He peered at her with a serious expression.  
  
Giggling, she finally looked at him, and smiled. "Spike, dear, luv, you don't need all that stuff, and we can't afford that kind of junk. Limited income and all that? You do remember that we have a single income family, right?" She kept her tone light, though, so that he knew she wasn't trying to harp on him.  
  
They had been living together for nearly 3 weeks now, officially, and Spike had finally talked her into getting groceries in the house. He told her he would pay, but she just shook her head, thinking he had no money. "No offense, Spike, but I don't want to be put on a black list at Food World because you thought your Duster could carry more then it could," was what she had told him.  
  
"Slaaaaaayer," Spike whined, "I may not need the bloody stuff, but its damn good food. I insist on getting the stuff I put in the cart. You pay for the stuff you grab, and I'll pay for the stuff I grab. Deal?" His ice blue eyes stared into hers. She groaned, and tried to look away, but the eyes got her every time.  
  
"Fine, BUT. only if you SHOW me that you have money first. I am NOT getting up there, only to find out you have a quarter and some bazooka gum.' Spike smiled, and tugged out his wallet. In it, he pulled out 3 $20's, and smiled. Her eye widened slightly.  
  
"You actually have money? Alright, whom did you steal it from?"  
  
"Slayer, I am shocked! Who says a bloke can't just go out and earn himself some money?" He smiled down at her, the incorrigible smile practically buckling her knees for her. Truth is, Spike had been doing a bit of work on the side, both at the Magic Box, and for Willy. Willy paid in blood, cutting down the blood expense, and Anya paid in cold hard cash. He had been squirreling it away in his lock box.  
  
He smirked at the accepting smile on Buffy's face, and started snatching snacks again. He knew that at least half the stuff he put in the cart, he wouldn't eat, but he hated seeing her so thin. She had finally started getting some color into her skin again, and her eyes no longer looked so sunken. The nightmares had finally stopped as well, so she was getting enough sleep.  
  
They had taken to patrolling together every night, much to the consternation of Xander. He couldn't help but give pot shots to Spike when he found them together, which was more often then finding Buffy alone anymore.  
  
They made their way to the checkout counter, and Buffy quickly paid for the necessities she had bought. Her purchase was rather small, coming to just under $20. Spike started loading the conveyor belt down with the junk food, soda, and magazines. He smirked when the order came to nearly $50, then winked at Buffy, and paid the cashier.  
  
They piled the food into the back of the Desoto, and Spike drove them home. On the way, they passed the old Crypt, which had Clem living in it now. Spike missed the old place a bit, but he preferred waking up with Buffy's arms wrapped tightly around him.  
  
When they pulled in, Buffy quickly darted inside, taking only the 2 bags of things she had bought, and taking care of them. Spike scowled at her, and lit a cigarette while he lugged in all his bags. He sat them down one at a time on the table, and then smirked at Buffy, as if to dare her to take care of the stuff inside.  
  
Buffy, however, just smiled, and propped her legs up on the table. "You picked it, you bought it, and you lug it, and take care of it." She followed up her short statement with a giggle, then closed her eyes and folded her hands behind her head.  
  
  
  
Twenty minutes, two broken bags, and five misplaced items later, the groceries were all taken care of, and Buffy had long since abandoned Spike for the pleasures of a hot bubble bath. Spike pulled out the slightly mushy ice cream. He cursed himself yet again for forgetting to put away the frozen goodies first. Spike pulled out a nice big bowl, and filled it with two different kinds of ice cream, chocolate chip cookie dough, and fudge swirl.  
  
He poured out the assorted toppings he had bought, as well. He looked at the chocolate syrup as he drizzled it on, and got a wicked idea. With a gleam in his eyes, Spike put the syrup away, and moved on to the whipped cream and maraschino cherries.  
  
Humming softly to himself, Spike pulled out two spoons, and made his way up the stairs to the bathroom. Knocking gently on the door, he called out Buffy's name. Smiling when he heard her call out to him, he entered the small room.  
  
"I have a snack, and if you are nice, Slayer, I just might share." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she laughed.  
  
"Spike if I eat that, I'll weigh close to 150 pounds by morning!"  
  
"Psssh, pet, you barely weigh 100 soaking wet in your knickers. Now, get out of there, and come join me in bed for a treat. If you're really good, I'll even do something wickedly sinful later."  
  
Spike left the room, throwing a wicked smile her way as he did.  
  
Several minutes later, Buffy entered the room, wearing a big fluffy towel, and nothing else. Spike wore a smile and a cherry.  
  
  
  
Part 5  
  
Buffy sat at her kitchen table. Laid out in front of her, there were several stacks of a mail, and her checkbook. The mail was sorted into 3 piles. Pile one held bills that were due soon. Pile two held bills that were already past due, and pile three held shutoff notices.  
  
She held a sheet of paper that she had written all the numbers and names on. In total, her bills came to nearly $1200 to catch up on all of them. She had check marks placed next to the important ones, like electricity, and house payment.  
  
On the bottom of the sheet, she had her bank balance written down. Before her paycheck this week, the balance was at $458.63. That's all that was left of her mother's money from the insurance pay off.  
  
Her pay check this week was going to be around $350 after all the taxes were taken out. That gave her around $800, not nearly enough. That also didn't count for how she was going to buy food this week. The stuff Spike had made her buy a few weeks back, and the stuff he had gotten, had lasted a while, but it had dwindled down to nothing but some dusty old cans of vegetables and some ancient boxes of stale cereal.  
  
Buffy dropped the pen and leaned back in the chair, and covered her face with her hands as she sighed loudly. Spike had disappeared again, like he had been doing rather often lately, and she was getting tired of being alone again. Frustrated, Buffy stood up, and went to sit out on the porch. She would need to look at the stored artwork her mother had in the attic soon.  
  
It hurt to think she would have to sell off any more, but she was getting down to the point where there was no choice. She also had put her application in to several more places so she could get a second job.  
  
Spike came in through the front door, and saw the kitchen light on. He walked in, but didn't see Buffy. What he did notice, however, was the stacks of bills on the table.  
  
He read the list off slowly, then saw the figures, and frowned. Small problem, he figured, because his stash of money had hit nearly $2000, not to mention the jewels and credit cards, though, those were going to come up expired fairly soon. He sat down, and went through some of the bills, and found that two of the lesser necessities were ones he felt he could easily convince her to let him pay.  
  
Cable and internet. Internet was one thing they had just gotten before Dawn and Joyce had. . . But anyway, Spike used it far more often then Buffy did these days. He was looking at the bills when Buffy walked back in.  
  
She stopped and looked up at him and stopped. She hadn't expected him home yet. He looked at her, and noticed the tear stained cheeks. Her hands went up automatically to wipe at her eyes, and face.  
  
"Slayer, you haven't exactly been letting me in on all your secrets, have you?" Buffy tugged at her lip, then walked past him to grab all the papers. She tucked them away in a drawer before turning to look back at him.  
  
"What did you want me to do, Spike, cry my problems out to you? It wouldn't have done me any good, and in the end, the bills still would have been there. I need to figure out what to do about them now, so, why don't you go and play again, and I'll play the grown-up." She left the room, and went up stairs.  
  
Spike cursed, and walked up stairs. He walked right past their room, however, and went to Joyce's old room. He pulled the lock box out of the safe. He walked straight to Buffy's room, and leaned against the door, his stance more relaxed then he actually was.  
  
"So, what is it, just money? I that what's holding you back, slayer? You think I can't help you because of money? Because if that's all it is, then here, have this. . ." He opened the lock box, and sat it in front of her.  
  
Buffy's eyes widened at the money in the box. "Spike. . . is this stolen?"  
  
Spike practically snorted, and shakes his head. "That's just like you, slayer, always assuming the worst of me." Without actually answering the question, he left the room, and then the house, with a slam of the door. 


	2. Comfortable Again

Chapter 7  
  
Buffy went in the next morning to talk to a realtor, hoping to end the nightmare quickly. They set up an appointment for the next afternoon to show the realtor the house, and then they would go from there. He helped her work out the details with the bank, and they were on their way.  
  
Before the end of the week, a sign was in the front yard, and Buffy was packing what stuff she wanted. Out of necessity, they picked out the furniture they would keep, which ended up being the sofa, the coffee table, two end tables, the kitchen table set, which was much smaller then the formal set in the dinning room, and her bedroom furniture.  
  
Spike tried to talk her into taking her mother's set instead, which was more adult, and would likely mean something to her down the road, but Buffy disagreed. The next job they had was sorting through the rooms, and boxing up what they wanted to keep of both Joyce and Dawn's personal affects. Buffy found them an apartment in the basement level of a big building, complete with a pool and 24-hour work out gym. They had gotten it rather cheap, all things considered.  
  
As the boxed things up, they moved them into the 2-bedroom apartment, and unpacked, so that they might use the boxes again. It was more painless than Buffy had thought it would be, and she took that as a blessing. It had only been 3 weeks now, since the decision to sell, and their apartment was finally set up for sleeping in. Buffy had tried to refer to it as hers, but it did not work for long. It was as much Spike's apartment, as it was her own.  
  
Spike had added his own touches to the apartment. Around their bed, he hung a heavy black velvet curtain, which would keep light from the small window at bay during the harsh daylight hours. On the walls, he had hung charcoal drawings of her, of Dawn, and of Joyce. He was not as good as his sire, but in the time they had together, Spike had picked up a thing or two.  
  
A black vase stood in the middle of the dining room table, and in it, he had white orchids. They were tall and graceful, arching at the head to bow down slightly. She had all of the photographs from the house hanging in the extra bedroom for now. She could not face them for long before she would start to break down again.  
  
Giles had stopped over briefly, but she had distanced herself from her friends since her mother and Dawn's deaths. If they had anything to say over Spike's presence, they wisely kept to themselves. Buffy was just finishing up in the kitchen with supper when Giles left. He promised to stop back again soon and left quickly, not bothering to acknowledge Spike's presence.  
  
Buffy stirred the deep red sauce in the pot before her. Her eyes were unfocused as she completed her task. It was one of the few meals that she could prepare and make well, spaghetti. Her mother had taught her the simple dish a few months before her death. Buffy spooned the thick meaty sauce into two separate bowls, and into the second one, she poured warm blood into the mix, and stirred it in.  
  
While she was busy, Spike went around lighting the new candles she had purchased. After doing this quick task, he dimmed the lights, and made certain that the table was set to the utmost standards. The orchids glowed diffusely in the pale flickering light, and the silverware, old as it may be, gleamed as it showed off the candle light reflection.  
  
Buffy finished pulling the store bought garlic bread from the oven, and let it cool as she carried the heaping bowls of sauce to the table. She sat Spike's on his side of the table, all the while praying that she had not mixed them up, then placed her own near her plate. Buffy smiled at Spike, who was currently trying to find the right 'mood' music to lighten the atmosphere a bit, then proceeded back to the kitchen.  
  
Buffy placed the piping hot slices of garlic bread into a basket with a napkin on the bottom and placed another napkin on the top of it. She grabbed a bottle of wine they had found stashed in her mother's room, and left the kitchen. Buffy smiled as she sat the food and wine down, and started to hum along with the music Spike had chosen.  
  
As they sat, silently, Buffy looked over at Spike, and it suddenly dawned on her just what she had made to go along with their dinner. "Oh, Spike! I forgot. I made. garlic bread." She said sheepishly as she ducked her head to avoid his blistering gaze. His deep laugh stained her ears and she quickly lifted her head to look at him in surprise.  
  
"Garlic is nothing but some Anne Rice, Stoker thing. S'not real, pet. I can eat it, and in fact, I love garlic. No worries?" Spike's deep blue gaze held hers tight in his grasp as a playful smile appeared on his lips.  
  
"Oh. Good, then. No worries." She smiled and they started their dinner, neither one saying much, but rather enjoying the food, the company, and the music. The wine was not bad either, as it was quickly consumed. At the end, Buffy stood to gather the plates, only to have Spike lightly push her back into her seat, and take the plates from her hand. "S'least I can do. You cooked, I can clean." He winked at her and disappeared into the kitchen. A moment later, she could hear him rinsing the plates, and placing them into the dishwasher.  
  
They ended up finishing the night curled up on the sofa, a copy of The Holy Grail in the VCR. Spike had his hand draped lazily around Buffy's middle, and she was reclined slightly against him, with her feet propped up on the end of the sofa. Before long, however, the affects of the moving, the stress, the wine, and the relaxation finally had their toll on Buffy, and Spike was looking down on a very tired, asleep, slayer. He just smiled as he slid from under her, and grasped her to him as he picked her up.  
  
Spike carried her into their room, and laid her under the covers. It was not long until he joined her under them. 


	3. Comfort Sounds

AN: Hi guys! Thanks for all the reviews, and sorry it was so long in the wait. This is it, the end of Nightmares. I have Soo many other's I'm working on, though, that hopefully, you can find the niche you want in one of the others. I'm going to be working to finish up many of my loose ends in the next few weeks, and get this all over with, to path the way for new things. As always, visit Love's Bitch for more accurate and timely updates. Http://gilly_bean2.tripod.com

Chapter 8

The dreams had stopped completely with the end of the house. It was quickly sold, and Buffy and Spike got rid of all the stuff that had been left in the house still. Buffy saved a few things of her mothers, and Dawn's, but for the most part, she hadn't wanted the reminders of their lives, because if they lived still, it hurt more. So, in the end, most was sold in a large yard sale, in which the Scoobies all helped out.

The money problems were also taken care of with the sale of the house, and the stuff. Buffy had gotten enough to pay off the house, her delinquent bills, and still have plenty left over in the bank. On top of all that, Spike was slowly adding his own money in with hers. He didn't think she knew, but how could she not know, when the sum of her account went up, when it should have gone down.

She was sitting on the sofa, contemplating all of the things that had happened in the last 2 months, the move, the sale, the falling in love. Buffy didn't know exactly when it had happened, but it had, and she wasn't about to deny it now. Spike would be back soon, he had gone down to a corner market for some supper, and she would tell him then.

Over the past few weeks, he had told her himself many times, and even went so far as to insist that she loved him as well, on a few occasions, but she hadn't admitted it. Now, she would. Buffy had an idea that Willow and Xander had both already guessed it, but they had both kept quiet on the matter, and didn't do much to encourage or discourage the relationship. Willow was better about it then Xander, but she wasn't all ga-ga over Spike, either.

Buffy jumped when the door rattled and opened, and Spike came in, his arms laden with brown paper bags. She smiled nervously, and hopped up to help him. "Hey, what did you find for us?"

"They had some of those pasta deals you like so well, so I nabbed a coupla those, and then some fried chicken and au gratin potatoes. That ok? Cause, we can order out, I don't mind having Chinese or Pizza again." He winked at her as he sat the warm paper bags down on the kitchen counter, laughing lightly at the look on her face.

"I am sooo sick of Chinese and pizza, Spike. I swear, tomorrow, I'm gonna cook. Or, you can take me out." She smiled up at him. "But, tonight, I wanna talk."

Spike eyed her for a moment, and went about getting their plates ready. He was a bit curious at what she wanted to talk about, though, and tried to hurry so they could get on with it. While he scooped, Buffy was heating his blood up, and poured some into a mug for him. 

They sat down at the table, and smiled at each other, Spike's curious, while Buffy's was nervous. "So, pet, what ya wanna talk bout? I can see the wheel's turning, you know."

She blushed and finished chewing the bite of pasta, and then looked at him. "I've been thinking… about, well, those words you use so much, and I came to a conclusion. I… that is… well, I love you too, and I don't care who knows it." She flushed deeply and ducked her head down to concentrate on the food in front of her.

"You… do?" His tone was odd as his mind hurried to accept the words he had longed to hear. Finally, he looked up and smiled at her. "Bout bloody time, was beginning to think you would never admit it!"

*********

Buffy lay silently on the bed months later, her hand brushing idly through Spike's hair as his head rest on her belly. They had been living together, officially and unofficially, for nearly a year now, and her friends had begun to accept it, and even come over and hang out more often. They had just gotten through clearing out the spare room that afternoon, and setting it up for the baby. 

Buffy still had a hard time believing they would be parents soon, but she knew it to be true. They had gotten paper work through nearly 3 months back to be legally married, and had since worked on getting Buffy pregnant. They had considered adoption for a while, but both Buffy and Spike wanted the child to come in part from Buffy. 

They had finally settled on having her inseminated, and had spent days pouring through profiles, and finally, they had found someone who was Spike's height and build, with his natural brown hair, and bright blue eyes. Buffy would be delivering her child right before Christmas, and they would finally be a family again.

Earlier that week, Buffy and Spike found that she wasn't having just one, but twins instead. One girl, and one boy, and now, it was name time. The nursery had come together fairly easily, though they still had time to get the small things together. They had aquired a crib right after she found out, but now, with a second one, they had gone through the internet sites, and found a perfect match, and it would be delivered to the apartment later in the week. 

The nursery theme was picked, moons and stars, and the walls were painted a pale blue with white puffy clouds. "How about Liam Giles and Libby Dawn?" Her voice was soft as Spike listened to the heartbeats in her belly. 

"I like those…"

*********

"Waaaaaaaaaa!"

Buffy groaned and turned over to find Spike already gone, and heard him in the nursery, singing softly to Libby. He came back in a few minutes later, and lay down with her. His arm slipped around her waist, and pulled her to him, and he nuzzled his lips to the back of her neck.

"Waaaaaaaaa!"

Buffy groaned again, this time, along with Spike.

"It's your turn, love. I did my time tonight. Go see to Liam." 

Buffy groaned a third time, and then went to see to their son. 

The End


End file.
